presentation of female characters in hamlet

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Frailty Thy Name is Woman: Depiction of Female Characters in Hamlet

Categories: Hamlet William Shakespeare

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Published: Dec 16, 2021

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Importance of Female Characters in Hamlet

Introduction, works cited.

Gender relationships are always complex and associated with concepts like power, responsibility, and concession. William Shakespeare is one of the authors whose works are intended to change the audience’s opinions on common events and expected feelings. His Hamlet is not just a story of a man who loses his father and grieves but an example of how family ties may be damaged and repaired. Thus, the worth of female characters cannot be ignored in the play because they contribute to the development of the main male characters and men in general. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet , there are two major female characters – Gertrude and Ophelia – whose relationships with Hamlet play an important role in understanding the ambiguous position of women in 17th-century England, changing from admiration to contempt.

The relationships between Gertrude and Hamlet reveal the changing attitudes of men toward women. On the one hand, when Hamlet asks her mother about the play, she demonstrates her ability to think critically and analyze the situation from different perspectives. Gertrude admits, “The lady doth protest too much, methinks” (3.2. 198). She does not reject Hamlet’s charge for her infidelity to the king but does not try to justify her sexual affairs with another man (Tubb). Such behavior makes Hamlet understand that her mother is not as simple or stupid as he thinks she is.

On the other hand, when the death of the king forces Gertrude to share some advice with her son, the audience understands how ridiculous her experience and position are. The mother tries to choose the right words, but her attempts do not convince Hamlet. Gertrude says, “Do not for ever with thy vailed lids / Seek for thy noble father in the dust: / Thou know’st ’tis common; all that lives must die, / Passing through nature to eternity” (1.2. 70-74). Hamlet does not find her support appropriate to deal with his grief for his father and her husband. The woman provokes nothing but contemptible attitudes toward her thoughts and choices.

Ophelia is another character whose connection with Hamlet proves the weakness of English women in the 17th century. When Hamlet wants to end their relationship, she is not ready to accept this reality, which forces her to find new arguments to change his mind. The audience admires Ophelia and sees her as a strong woman who wonders, “Could beauty, my lord, have better commerce than with honesty?” (3.1. 109). She is knowledgeable enough to recognize the best human values to achieve the desired purpose. Ophelia respects and cares for Hamlet, underlining her desire to cooperate and survive the hardest times together.

At the same time, most men in the play are not eager to accept women as strong and competitive characters. When Ophelia’s father sees how gullible and naïve her daughter is, the reader gets one of the strongest metaphors about male-female relationships. Hamlet’s intention to bind the girl is compared to “springes to catch woodcocks” (1.3. 115). As a result, Ophelia’s life is closely related to Hamlet’s. Still, if the reader can see and understand the story of Hamlet without Ophelia, her life has no story at all (Showalter). Female dependence on men is inevitable, and today, it is not always easy to escape these standards.

People like to think that they are able to control a situation, especially men. The story offered by Shakespeare describes the relationships of men and women in the far 17th century and proves the ambiguity of female roles in society. It seems that the author creates Gertrude and Ophelia to demonstrate their fragility and dependence on male power. Hamlet, as well as other men, treats women with contempt and some kind of mockery. However, Shakespeare adds unique qualities to both women to demonstrate possible impact on their men. Thus, it is interesting for the audience to observe Hamlet’s doubts and attempts to change his feelings toward Gertrude and Ophelia because he can imagine his life without them, but he is not sure if he wants to do it.

Shakespeare, William. “Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.” In Literature and Composition: Reading – Writing – Thinking , edited by Carol Jago et al., Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2011, pp. 720-834.

Showalter, Elaine. “Ophelia, Gender and Madness.” British Library , Web.

Tubb, Tamara. “Character Analysis: Gertrude in Hamlet.” British Library , Web.

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StudyCorgi. (2023, December 5). Importance of Female Characters in Hamlet. https://studycorgi.com/importance-of-female-characters-in-hamlet/

"Importance of Female Characters in Hamlet." StudyCorgi , 5 Dec. 2023, studycorgi.com/importance-of-female-characters-in-hamlet/.

StudyCorgi . (2023) 'Importance of Female Characters in Hamlet'. 5 December.

1. StudyCorgi . "Importance of Female Characters in Hamlet." December 5, 2023. https://studycorgi.com/importance-of-female-characters-in-hamlet/.

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